A white wake gradually materialized on the sea's surface, shaped like a colossal arrowhead. It darted swiftly through the water, zigzagging left and right, moving with urgent speed.
Of course, this "big guy" wasn't aiming for the Black Serpent. Ahead of the prominent white wake, smaller ripples danced across the water – the signs of its prey.
This was a chase: a hunter pursuing its quarry.
Wilder watched the unfolding drama on the sea with keen interest. A crew member brought over a barrel of wine. Wilder picked it up directly, took a long swig, his eyes remaining fixed on the churning water.
Beside him, Sacren's body began to tense. His arms visibly swelled, growing significantly thicker than before. Wilder glanced over, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. That bears some resemblance to Life Return.
After a moment's thought, Wilder refocused his attention on the sea. The prey, frantic and desperate, was heading straight towards the Black Serpent, with the white wake relentlessly closing in behind it.
The Black Serpent's hull was lined with Seastone, typically preventing attacks from creatures dwelling beneath the waves. However, in a situation like this, where the threat was actively pursuing something towards them, the Seastone offered no protection.
With a powerful leap, Sacren launched himself off the deck of the Black Serpent, plunging into the ocean below.
"Hm… A fearless fellow. Though that fighting style is rather primitive," Wilder remarked, an eyebrow slightly raised. Sacren's direct approach was somewhat unexpected.
BOOM! A towering wave erupted from the sea! The creature creating the white wake finally revealed its form! It was a Sea King. Its body was serpentine, but its head resembled that of a lion, and two menacing, forked claws, gleaming with a cold black light, protruded from beneath its belly.
Sea Kings weren't exclusive to the Calm Belt; these powerful marine monsters existed throughout the world's oceans. However, compared to those in the Calm Belt, Sea Kings found in other waters were generally weaker and less numerous.
"ROAR!" Breaking the surface, the Sea King immediately spotted Sacren, its crimson eyes instantly locking onto him. With a downward thrust of its head, its massive body submerged once more.
A long, dark shadow shot rapidly beneath the waves, heading straight for Sacren. As for the creature the Sea King had initially been chasing, it had presumably used the distraction to escape and was now long gone.
On the surface, Sacren's expression was grim and focused, yet his body floated calmly on the waves, showing no sign of panic. Seeing the dark shadow arrive directly beneath his feet, the massive head already surging upwards, Sacren knew it was time.
Taking a deep breath, he dove sharply into the water.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Clouds of blood instantly billowed up from below, staining the surface before being quickly diluted and washed away by the current.
Wilder had stood up by now, his gaze fixed on the water below. He could perceive an incredibly agile figure darting through the water like jagged lightning, weaving unpredictably around the massive Sea King. Each time the figure passed close to the beast, another huge gash would appear on its body, unleashing torrents of blood.
"That kind of underwater combat ability is truly enviable," Wilder mused aloud. "Just like a Fish-Man. Even Bica and the others would probably struggle to gain an advantage against him in the water, perhaps even find themselves at a disadvantage."
Before long, the commotion beneath the waves ceased. A colossal shadow began to slowly rise from the depths, eventually breaking the surface and floating motionlessly. The Sea King's massive body was covered in a dense network of wounds, several of which were so deep they exposed shattered bone within.
To inflict such devastating injuries with relatively short Tiger Claw weapons spoke volumes about Sacren's combat prowess. Wilder realized he had underestimated him; Sacren was clearly stronger now than the information in his file suggested. Perhaps time has allowed this warrior to grow, Wilder considered. Information, after all, was static, while people were living beings – they could grow stronger, or they could decline. Fortunately, Sacren belonged to the former category.
"Nyahahaha!" Wilder turned to his crew, who had been watching the spectacle with rapt attention from the ship's railings. "Alright, lads! We're eating Sea King tonight!"
"OOOH!" The crew erupted in excited cheers! Several immediately leaped off the Black Serpent, swimming eagerly towards the massive carcass. Others began lowering ropes and hooks from the deck, preparing to secure and haul the beast aboard. Fortunately, the Black Serpent was immense—roughly half again as large as Whitebeard's Moby Dick—easily capable of accommodating the Sea King.
Of course, no one was foolish enough to try hoisting the entire creature at once. Working efficiently, the crew first butchered the Sea King into nearly ten manageable sections in the water before beginning the process of hauling them onto the deck.
Preparations for a feast began immediately, with the ship's cooks eagerly setting to work on the fresh Sea King meat. Sacren climbed back aboard, dripping wet, but paid it no mind. He sat down on the deck, picked up a nearby wine barrel, and began chugging it down with gusto.
Wilder saw this and raised an eyebrow slightly. Some people claim they don't drink, yet secretly, they're absolute booze hounds.
"Boss!"
Just as Wilder was about to walk over, one of the crew members ran up, his face flushed with excitement. "We found a box inside the Sea King's stomach!"
"Hm?" Wilder turned, his interest piqued, looking at the box the crewman held. It had been quickly rinsed off but was clearly old, covered in rust stains, and secured with a small, tarnished lock.
Wilder reached out and took the box. Examining it closely, he let a small amount of swamp ooze from his fingertips, guiding thin tendrils into the lock mechanism. The swamp slowly dissolved and consumed the rust within the lock. Then, Wilder controlled the swamp to perfectly fill the internal shape of the lock, hardening it instantly into the form of a key.
Click!
The lock sprang open. Wilder lifted the lid. Inside, nestled on some dry material, lay a single fruit covered in strange, swirling patterns, shaped remarkably like a mango.
"A Devil Fruit…" Wilder's eyes narrowed slightly. He carefully closed the lid. After a moment's thought, he absorbed the entire box into his body using his swamp powers. He glanced briefly at the crewman who had brought the box, noticing the subtle shift in the man's expression upon seeing the fruit. Wilder's own eyes remained calm, unreadable.
"Boss! I didn't see anything!" the crewman stammered, suddenly shivering. He turned and practically fled.
A smirk touched Wilder's lips. He hadn't intended to do anything to the man; he was just a low-level crew member. Wilder possessed enough confidence and magnanimity not to worry about such minor things.
The feast began in earnest. The crew cheered boisterously, devouring huge chunks of meat and downing copious amounts of alcohol. For a rare moment, Wilder let himself go, joining in the revelry, throwing his arm around crew members' shoulders, his hearty laughter echoing across the deck.
Only Sacren remained somewhat reserved, clearly not yet fully integrated into the boisterous camaraderie.
"Hey!" A wine barrel suddenly flew through the air towards Sacren. He snapped back to attention instantly, catching it deftly. Looking over, he saw Wilder with his arm slung around another crewman's neck – the same one who had delivered the box earlier, now looking like he was about to pass out, eyes rolling back in his head from the near-asphyxiating embrace.
Sacren paused for a moment, observing the scene, then lifted the barrel he had caught and began to drink.